Denisha

Denisha is used to looking ahead of her current position. She constantly scans her surroundings and adjusts her direction and speed to navigate the safest course. Denisha transports precious cargo to and from Cabarrus County schools in her bright yellow bus each weekday. She takes the safety of all “her” children very seriously.

As a single mother Denisha struggled to find affordable housing for her family. Her two-bedroom rental took nearly half her earnings just to cover rent costs. Her roof leaked. There were visible gaps between the floor and wall. Between the gaps and completely inadequate insulation, the interior temperatures were either too hot in the summer or quite cold in the winter.

But safety is what speaks to Denisha’s heart and this was not a safe place to raise two active toddlers. Uncovered electrical outlets exposed wiring to curious little hands. The doors never quite closed and latched completely. In a good neighborhood her concern would be about keeping the children IN… However in a marginal neighborhood Denisha also worried about keeping other people OUT. But the final straw was the neighbor’s aggressive dog that came into Denisha’s backyard through holes in the fence. Her children weren’t safe inside or outside their home.

Denisha heard about Habitat through a co-worker and applied for the program in 2014. It’s taken Denisha awhile to complete the home ownership program due to an injury that kept her out of work and prevented her from building sweat equity hours for several months. But Denisha was determined to provide long-term safety and stability for her kids so she diligently attended financial education meetings in the interim. Denisha persevered and is on track to move into her home early in 2017